Page 48 of Bound to a Warrior
“The king must want you both badly to send so many of his men after you,” Bliss said.
Duncan allowed her her conclusions. He didn’t want to draw any special attention to himself. It might jeopardize his mission.
“You both must be exhausted, that chain is a heavy burden.”
“No!” Duncan and Mercy sang out and stared at each other, startled by their harmonious reply.
“The chains are no burden,” Duncan said, though his eyes were on Mercy. He had reiterated it often enough, but he wanted her to know again and again that she was not nor ever would be a burden to him, chains or no chains.
“Aye, Duncan is right,” Mercy said. “The chains are no burden at all.”
He smiled, pleased that she was letting him know that she felt the same.
The flames suddenly spit and roared, casting light upon them and making Mercy’s head wound appear far more damaging than it was and causing Duncan alarm. But before he could voice his concern, Bliss spoke.
“I have salve that will help heal your wounds,” she offered and set about fetching it before either of them could thank her.
“You live here alone?” Mercy asked.
“So to speak,” Bliss said.
Duncan wondered what she meant, since she offered no further details, but he didn’t ask. There was a sense of safety in her cottage, and he instinctively knew there was no need to worry while here.
While Bliss applied the salve to Mercy’s head wound and then her wrist, she talked with them. Duncan noticed that her answers to questions that concerned her were vague, though she was quite informative about the land and her people.
He decided to respect her privacy and did not venture any further than she wished. When she was done with Mercy she started on his wrists, rubbing the soothing salve over his wound. He had thought the cream would sting and her touch would hurt, being the skin was raw, but surprisingly, the salve was cool and her touch light.
Able had said she had a healing touch and he certainly agreed. Remarkably, his wrists were already feeling better.
When Bliss was done, she stood. “I have fresh clean clothes you both are welcome to if you’d like.”
Mercy’s face lit with joy and then faded.
As if Bliss knew Mercy’s mind, she said, “You can bathe first if you’d like.”
Mercy pointed to the chains. “It would be difficult, though I would dearly love to bathe and have fresh garments.”
“You can have both,” Bliss said. “There is a spot where I bathe. It is secluded and the water warm. And we’ll work around the chains with some needle and thread.”
Mercy looked to Duncan. “What say you?”
He found himself speechless. While he wanted to bathe and have fresh clothes also, it would mean being naked with Mercy once again. And he just didn’t know if this time he could keep his hands off her.
So far he’d been a chivalrous man, but that was before he’d kissed her again and again and damn if his hands weren’t aching to touch her intimately.
“A bath it is.”
Had he truly said that? What was he thinking?
Long, lazy kisses, soft, exploring touches and endless hours of love making.
Damn he was in trouble.
“I’ll take you there,” Bliss said, “and return for you in an hour.”
“Perhaps two hours?” Mercy asked. “If the water is warm, as you say, I would love to linger.”
Yes. Yes. Let’s linger. No, you fool! No lingering.
